NBB Love Felix - Apple Whiskey Barrel Aged | New Belgium Brewing

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375ml cork and caged bottle. Tumbler glass. Darker copper body, slightly cloudy and unfiltered, golden brown hue. One finger frothy white head, short retention, not much lacing. Smell is green apple tartness, moderate acetic acidity/vinegar, light oak, trace leathery funk, a slightly heavy sweet grain. It has a slightly acetone-ish smell to it also, which bothers me a little bit. However, the flavour is an outstanding mixture of moderate acetic acidity, light lemon, moderate green apple, touch of oak, a bit of sweeter caramel and toffee, sort of like a Flanders red. However, it has a warming presence to it, which is not immediately apparent until I'm a few sips in. Nice. Good complexity. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, slightly heavier than expected, not in a bad way. Good carbonation. Nice sipper that can easily turn into a gulper.

12.7 oz poured into the Firestone Teku. Foeder 33 aged 14 months date 5/9/17
Look: a clear burnt orange with low carbonation. Slight white head that dissipated to to a thin ring.
Smell: musty, vanilla, pear, apple, some lemon, fresh and clean
Taste: Tart, apple juice, some spices on the back end.
Feel: clean and fresh, acidic tickle
Overall: pretty good sour. Was expecting a bit more for the price tag. Enjoyable, not sure I would spend the money again on this run.

375ml bottle. It smelled like apples when I first popped the bottle but once it was in the glass it was more sour vinegar notes. I did not really pick up any whiskey but the flavor was really tasty. Sour, kind of like a fine vinegar, reminded me of le terroir as well as how delicious New Belgium can make a sour.

From a 375 ml bottle (Foeder 33, a lengthy code is printed on the side of the bottle) to a tulip.

A-A normal pour produces a brassy copper colored beer that is crystal clear. A short, white head fades immediately to a thin collar. The beer is completely still in the glass. Interesting coloring, but not not super attractive.

S-Wow...I'm digging the apple here, which is not a flavor I normally enjoy in beers. I am smelling a lot of tart green apple, as well as some sour candy notes like Sweet Tarts (or Pop Rocks?), an undercurrent of vanilla, soft oak, and mild lacto funk. The beer is definitely tart, but it is not threatening my tooth enamel.

T-The taste tracks closely to the smell. There is some acidity here, but a malty, wheaty, almost-earthy sweetness balances things out. I may also be picking up some caramel and toffee from the barrel? Green apple is still the dominant flavor, as well as vanilla, funky lacto oak, hints of medicinal alcohol, and white grape. The finish is long and drying.

M-The heft is medium to slightly heavy and the carbonation is smooth and almost creamy for the style. A lightly oily feel is mostly swept away by the acidity on the finish. Really nice.

O-This beer surprised me. I don't normally take to apple flavors, but this brew slipped them in and I found myself enjoying it. The softness of the whole package (flavors, acidity, mouthfeel) shows restraint instead of an attempt to make an in-your-face acid monster with over-the-top flavors. I would definitely drink this again.

A strong apple undercurrent and a peppery kiss of whisky only works to heighten the sense of barrel sourness that the Love Felix wants to exhibit anyhow. Clean, sharp and crisp- this New Belgium variety is simply sour as shit!

Even appearing like apple cider, the lightly headed beer gleams with a soft translucence and a light golden hue. Sparkling with carbonation, the beer's perfume is all green apple. Dry cider with that tingle of alcohol spice signals a light nutty oaken drift with a brief pass of citrus. Light biscuit and wheaten qualities lay down a brief buffer on the tongue and simply await the sourness.

As the beer washes the middle palate, its strips the thirst, sweetness and creamy wheat and begins to pang away relentlessly at the tastebuds with acute and pin-point acidity. Lead by crabapple but with a brisk undercurrent of lemon, lime and sour white grape a pep of cider-vinegar provides a light acetic tone to go along with a tight lactic sourness. Mild oak and dry hay decorate a slimly bittered finish for a semblance of earthen complexity.

Dry, light, crisp and utterly refreshing, the sour ale's carbonation and acidity is a two-headed monster that shreds any malt complement and keeps the taste peppery, dry and modestly warm. Bright and bubbly, a peppery whisky echo and a fluttering notion wheat and burlap chase a quick after-palate and keeps subtle whiffs of complexity coming.